[Yonhap News Photo]
Prosecutors failed to secure an arrest warrant for the daughter of ex-president Park Geun-hye's jailed crony to stay out of after a court rejected their argument that she is a key suspect in a corruption scandal.
It was the second time the court has rejected a request from prosecutors to arrest Chung Yoo-ra, the 21-year-old daughter of Choi Soon-sil. The court rejected the first request earlier this month, citing no danger of flight, and made a similar decision Tuesday.
Prosecutors accused Chung of colluding with her mother to hide illegal money. She admitted she took undue academic favors but insisted she had no knowledge of any deals between his mother and Park.
Chung was extradited on March 31 five months after she was arrested in Denmark on charges of illegal stay. She has insisted she was innocent, shifting the responsibility to her mother who is on trial on charges of meddling in state affairs, siphoning off money from two public foundations created with cash donations from dozens of conglomerates.
Chung was accused of taking undue favors from Ewha Womans University regarding her admission and academic affairs by taking advantage of close ties between her mother and Park. Samsung Electronics is suspected of bankrolling Chung's equestrian training in Germany.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
